Chapter 44: The Dharma Body Meets the Power of Carts; The Heart Righteous Overcomes Demons at the Spine Pass

A poem says:

Thanks to the dragon prince subduing the demon and the Black Water River god clearing the way, Tang Sanzang and his disciples crossed the Black Water River and continued westward along the main road. They traveled for a long time, facing frost and snow, treading beneath the stars and moon, until they reached the early spring season once more. They saw: the three yang forces were turning, and all things shone with radiance. The three yang forces turning filled the sky with brightness, like an unfurled painting; all things shining with radiance covered the ground with flowers and grass, like a spread brocade carpet. A few patches of lingering snow remained on the plum blossoms, and clouds of green seemed to drift over the wheat fields. Ice and snow gradually melted, mountain springs began to flow, wild grasses sprouted, and the traces of burned areas were all covered. Truly: the great god Taihao governed spring, and the deity Goumang presided over the season. The fragrance of flowers drifted, the breeze was warm, the clouds were thin, and the sunlight was fresh. The willows by the roadside put forth tender buds like opening eyes, and the spring rain nourished all things, presenting a scene of spring.

The master and disciples admired the scenery as they slowly rode their horses forward, when suddenly they heard a loud shouting sound, like the roar of thousands upon thousands of people. Tang Sanzang was frightened, reined in his horse, and dared not advance. He turned back and asked, "Wukong, where does such a loud noise come from?" Zhu Bajie said, "It sounds like the earth splitting and mountains collapsing." Sha Wujing said, "It also sounds like thunderclaps." Tang Sanzang said, "I think it is the shouting of men and the neighing of horses." Sun Wukong laughed and said, "None of you guessed correctly. Wait here, and let me go see what is happening."

What a Great Sage! He leaped up with a single bound, stepped onto his auspicious cloud, and flew into the air. Opening his eyes wide to look, he saw a city in the distance. Drawing closer, he could also see faint auspicious light, with no evil aura. The Pilgrim thought to himself, "This place is not bad! Why is there such a loud noise? There are no banners waving or weapons flashing in the city, nor the sound of cannons. How can it sound like the clamor of men and horses?" As he was pondering, he saw many monks gathered on the sandy open space outside the city gate, pulling carts! They were all shouting in unison, calling out, " Great King of Strength Bodhisattva ," and thus startled Tang Sanzang.

The Pilgrim slowly descended his cloud for a closer look. Ah! The carts were loaded with bricks, tiles, timber, adobe, and such things. In front of the sandy slope was the highest hill, and there was also a narrow path along the spine, with two great passes. The roads below the passes were all sheer cliffs, straight and steep. How could these carts be pulled up? Although the weather was warm, those monks were all dressed in rags, looking utterly pitiful. The Pilgrim wondered, "They must be building a temple, right? The harvest here is good, so they cannot find casual laborers, and thus the monks have to do the work themselves."

As he was guessing, he saw two young Daoists swaggering out of the city gate. Look at their attire: they wore star crowns and were draped in brocade. Their star crowns glittered, and their brocade robes fluttered like colored clouds. They wore cloud-tip shoes and tied their waists with cooked silk sashes . Their faces were handsome like the full moon, and their appearance was like that of celestial youths . When those monks saw the Daoists coming, each one was so terrified that their hearts trembled, and they pulled the carts with even greater effort. The Pilgrim suddenly understood. "Aha! It must be that the monks are afraid of the Daoists. Why else would they pull so hard? I have heard that on the road to the West, there are places that respect Daoists and destroy Buddhists. This must be one of them! I want to go back and tell my master, but if I don't get to the bottom of it, he will blame me—a clever person like me, unable to find out the truth. I'd better go down and ask clearly first, then report back to my master."

Who do you think he went to ask? What a Great Sage! He descended his cloud, arrived at the foot of the city wall, shook himself, and transformed into a wandering Daoist. On his left arm hung a water-and-fire basket , in his hand he tapped a fish-drum , and from his mouth came the words of a Daoist ballad . He walked to the city gate, greeted the two Daoists, and bowed, saying, "Honored sirs, the poor Daoist pays his respects." The Daoists returned the greeting and asked, "Where does the master come from?" The Pilgrim said, "This disciple travels to the corners of the sea and roams to the ends of the sky. Now I have come to this place, hoping to find a charitable household. May I ask you two honored sirs, which street in this city has many people who believe in the Dao? Which alley has virtuous people? I would like to beg some vegetarian food to eat." The Daoists laughed and said, "Master, why do you speak such discouraging words?" The Pilgrim asked, "How are they discouraging?" The Daoists said, "You want to beg for food, isn't that discouraging?" The Pilgrim said, "Those who have left the family live by begging. If I don't beg for food, how can I have money to buy things?" The Daoists laughed and said, "You are from a distant place and do not know the affairs of this city. In our city, let alone the civil and military officials who believe in the Dao, and the wealthy who choose the virtuous—men and women, old and young, all invite us to eat when they see us. But these are not the main point. The most important thing is that the king also believes in the Dao and loves the virtuous." The Pilgrim said, "This poor Daoist is young in years and has just come from afar, so I truly do not know. I trouble you two honored sirs to tell me in detail the name of this place and the king's belief in the Dao and love for the virtuous, so as to show the fellowship of our same path."

The Daoists said, "This city is called the Chechi Kingdom . The king in the imperial palace has a relationship with us." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Has a Daoist become the emperor?" The Daoists said, "No. Twenty years ago, this place suffered a great drought. Not a single drop of rain fell from the sky, and all the crops in the fields withered and died. Regardless of whether they were officials, ministers, or commoners, every household bathed and burned incense, worshipping heaven and praying for rain. Just as everyone was about to perish from hardship, three immortal elders suddenly arrived and saved the people." The Pilgrim asked, "Which three immortal elders?" The Daoists said, "They are our masters." The Pilgrim asked, "What are the names and titles of your honorable masters?" The Daoists said, "My senior master is called the Tiger Power Great Immortal , my second master is called the Deer Power Great Immortal , and my third master is called the Goat Power Great Immortal ." The Pilgrim asked, "How much magical power do the three honorable masters have?" The Daoists said, "Our masters can summon wind and rain with a turn of their hand; turning water into oil and stone into gold is as easy as turning around. Because they have such great magical power, able to change the laws of heaven and earth and alter the positions of the stars, the king respects them mutually and has formed a kinship with us." The Pilgrim said, "This king is truly blessed. As the saying goes, 'With skill, one can move officials.' With such great skill, it is not unworthy for your masters to form a kinship with the king. Alas, I wonder if I have the fate to meet your masters in person?" The Daoists laughed and said, "You want to see our masters? What difficulty is there! We two are their closest disciples, and our masters believe in the Dao and love the virtuous. As soon as they hear the word 'Dao,' they will come out to welcome anyone. If we two take you in, it will be as easy as turning over our hand." The Pilgrim quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for the recommendation. Let us go in now." The Daoists said, "Wait a moment. Sit here. We two have some business to attend to first, and when we return, we will take you in." The Pilgrim asked, "We who have left the family are free and unrestrained. What official business do you have?" The Daoists pointed to the monks on the sandy beach and said, "They are doing the work of our household. We are afraid they might be lazy, so we are going to take roll call and will be back soon." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Honored sirs, you are mistaken! Monks and Daoists are both those who have left the family. How can they do our work, and we have to take roll call on them?" The Daoists said, "You do not know. In those years when they prayed for rain, the monks worshipped the Buddha on one side, and the Daoists worshipped the Dipper on the other, both receiving grain from the court. But those monks were useless; they only chanted sutras to no effect. Later, when our masters arrived, they summoned wind and rain and saved the people. The king became angry with the monks, demolished their temples, destroyed their Buddha statues, confiscated their ordination certificates, forbade them from returning to their hometowns, and granted them to our household as servants, like pages. In our household, those who tend the fire, sweep the floor, and watch the gate are all monks. Because the buildings in the back are not yet finished, these monks were called to pull bricks, tiles, and timber to build the houses. Afraid they might be lazy, we are going to check on them."

The Pilgrim grabbed the Daoists and pretended to weep, saying, "I said I had no fate, and truly I have no fate. I cannot see the faces of your honorable masters!" The Daoists asked, "Why can't you see them?" The Pilgrim said, "This poor Daoist travels the four directions, first to make a living, and second to seek relatives." The Daoists asked, "What relatives do you have?" The Pilgrim said, "I have an uncle who left the family to become a monk when he was young. A few years ago, during a famine, he also came out to beg. In recent years, he has not returned home. I think of the kindness of my ancestors, so I have come specially to look for him. I imagine he is trapped in such a place and cannot escape. I must find him and see him before I can enter the city with you." The Daoists said, "That is easy. We two will sit down first. Please trouble you to go to the sandy beach and take roll call for us. Just make sure there are five hundred monks, and see if there is your uncle among them. If there is, for the sake of our fellowship on the same path, we will let him go. Then we will take you into the city. How about that?" The Pilgrim quickly thanked them, made a bow, bid farewell to the Daoists, tapped his fish-drum, and walked towards the sandy beach. Passing the double passes and going down the narrow path along the spine, the monks all knelt down together and kowtowed, saying, "Grandfather, we have not been lazy. All five hundred of us are here, none missing, all pulling the carts." When the Pilgrim saw this, he laughed to himself, "These monks are so beaten by the Daoists that they are terrified. Seeing me, a fake Daoist, they are this afraid. If a real Daoist came, wouldn't they be scared to death?" The Pilgrim waved his hand and said, "Don't kneel, don't be afraid. I am not a supervisor. I have come to seek a relative." When the monks heard that he was seeking a relative, they immediately crowded around him, each one showing his face, coughing and greeting, hoping to be recognized. They said, "I wonder which one is his relative." The Pilgrim looked for a while and then laughed out loud. The monks asked, "Sir, you do not recognize your relative. What are you laughing at?" The Pilgrim said, "Do you know what I am laughing at? I am laughing at you monks for being so worthless! Your parents gave birth to you, either because your fate was bad and you were inauspicious to your parents, or because you had no siblings, and thus sent you to leave the family. Why do you not uphold the Three Jewels, not revere the Buddha's Dharma, not chant sutras and repent, but instead become hired laborers for the Daoists, being used like slaves and maids?" The monks said, "Sir, do not shame us! You must be from a foreign land and do not know the severity of this place." The Pilgrim said, "I am indeed from a foreign land. I truly do not know what severity there is here." The monks wept and said, "The king of our kingdom is biased and unprincipled. He only likes you Daoists and hates us monks." The Pilgrim asked, "Why?" The monks said, "It is because those three immortal elders can summon wind and rain. They came here to destroy us, deceived the king, demolished our temples, confiscated our ordination certificates, forbade us from returning to our hometowns, and did not even let us serve as laborers. They granted us to the immortal elders' household as servants. It is too bitter! Whenever a wandering Daoist comes, he is invited to see the king and receive a reward. But if a monk comes, regardless of distance, he is captured and sent to the immortal elders' household as a hired laborer." The Pilgrim said, "I suppose the Daoists have some clever magical arts to delude the king? If they only rely on summoning wind and rain, those are all minor, heterodox techniques. How could they move the king's heart?" The monks said, "They can also refine cinnabar and dry mercury, sit in meditation and preserve the spirit, turn water into oil, and turn stone into gold. Now they are building the Three Purities Temple, and day and night they chant sutras and repent before heaven and earth, praying for the king to attain immortality. That is how they have deluded the king." The Pilgrim said, "So that is the case. Why don't you just run away?" The monks said, "Sir, we cannot escape! The immortal elders petitioned the king to have our portraits painted and posted everywhere. The Chechi Kingdom is vast, and in every prefecture, county, village, and market, there are portraits of monks, with the king's own handwriting on them. Any official who captures a monk is promoted three ranks; any commoner who captures a monk is rewarded with fifty taels of silver. Therefore, we cannot escape. Let alone monks, even those who have cut their hair or have sparse hair find it hard to escape. There are arresting officers everywhere. No matter how we try to escape, it is difficult. We have no choice but to suffer here." The Pilgrim said, "Since that is the case, you might as well die." The monks said, "Sir, some have died. The monks captured from everywhere totaled over two thousand. Those who could not endure the hardship, could not bear the torment, could not stand the cold, or could not adapt to the climate, six or seven hundred died. Seven or eight hundred committed suicide. Only we five hundred are left, unable to die." The Pilgrim asked, "Why can't you die?" The monks said, "When we hang ourselves, the rope breaks; when we cut ourselves with a knife, it does not hurt; when we jump into a river, we float; when we take poison, it has no effect." The Pilgrim said, "You are truly blessed! Heaven has granted you long life!" The monks said, "Oh, sir, you have missed a word. It is 'long suffering'! Every day we eat three meals of coarse rice porridge, and at night we sleep in the open on the sandy beach. As soon as we close our eyes, there are divine spirits protecting us." The Pilgrim asked, "Are you so tired that you are hallucinating, seeing ghosts?" The monks quickly shook their heads and said, "No ghosts! It is the Six Ding and Six Jia gods and the temple-protecting Vajra Guardians! Every night, they come to protect us. Whenever any of us wants to die, they stop us and do not let us die." The Pilgrim wondered, "This is strange! These divine spirits are also unreasonable—they should have let you die early and be reborn quickly, to avoid this suffering. Why do they instead come to protect you?" The monks sighed and said, "They advise us in our dreams, saying, 'Do not seek death. Endure a little longer! Wait for the holy monk from the Great Tang in the East who is going to the West to fetch the scriptures. He has a disciple under him, who is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. He has vast magical powers, a kind and righteous heart, and specializes in righting the wrongs of the world, helping those in difficulty, and caring for the orphaned and widowed. When he comes, he will surely display his abilities, destroy those Daoists, and make the king revere our Buddhist faith once more.'" When the Pilgrim heard this, he laughed secretly in his heart. "Ha! Don't say that Old Sun has no abilities. Even the divine spirits have long spread my reputation!" He quickly suppressed his laughter, tapped his fish-drum, bid farewell to the monks, and turned back towards the city gate. He happened to run into the two Daoists from before. The Daoists came up to him and asked, "Master, did you find your relative? Which one is he?" The Pilgrim said, "All five hundred of these monks are my relatives!" The two Daoists burst out laughing. "Are you not crazy? Where do you have so many relatives?" The Pilgrim said seriously, "One hundred are my left neighbors, one hundred are my right neighbors, one hundred are my paternal relatives, one hundred are my maternal relatives, and one hundred are my good friends. If you are willing to release all five hundred of these people, I will enter the city with you to see your master. If you do not release them, I will not go!" The Daoists' faces darkened. "You are talking nonsense! These monks were granted to us by the king. Even if we wanted to release one or two, we would first have to submit a sick leave note to our master, and then make up a 'death certificate' to cover it up. And you want to release all of them? This is completely unreasonable! Let alone the fact that our household would have no one to work, the king would blame us if he found out—he often sends officials to inspect, and sometimes even comes in person to take roll call. How dare we release them?" The Pilgrim stared at them and asked, "So you will not release them?" The Daoists stiffened their necks and said, "We will not!" The Pilgrim asked three times, "Will you release them or not?" Seeing the Daoists' stubbornness to the end, he finally became angry. He reached into his ear and pulled out the Golden-Banded Staff. He rubbed it gently against the wind, and the staff instantly grew to the thickness of a bowl. He shook the staff and gave the two Daoists a "smack" across their faces. Alas for those two poor Daoists! They were struck on the spot, their heads broken and blood flowing, falling to the ground. Their necks were broken, and their brains spilled out!

The monks on the sandy beach, seeing from afar that the Pilgrim had killed the two Daoists, quickly dropped their carts and ran over, shouting, "Not good! Not good! He has killed the king's relatives!" The Pilgrim asked, "Who are the king's relatives?" The monks immediately formed a circle around him and said, "Their masters do not have to bow to the king when they enter the court, nor do they have to take leave when they leave. The king calls them 'Elder Brothers and Masters of the Kingdom'! How could you come here and cause such trouble? His disciples came out to supervise the work. You had no enmity or grievance with them. How could you kill them? Those three immortal elders will certainly not say that you killed them. They will only say that we monks killed their disciples. What shall we do! Come, come with us into the city and confess to this murder case!" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Everyone, do not panic. I am not a wandering Daoist. I have come to save you." The monks said, "You have already killed someone and brought us an extra trouble. How can you say you are saving us?" The Pilgrim said, "I am Sun Wukong, the disciple of the holy monk of the Great Tang. I have come especially to save your lives." The monks shook their heads. "No! No! We know the appearance of the Great Sage Sun." The Pilgrim asked, "You have never seen him. How do you know him?" The monks said, "In our dreams, we often see an old man who calls himself the Great White Planet. He often tells us the appearance of the Great Sage Sun, for fear that we might mistake him." The Pilgrim asked, "How did he describe him?" The monks recited, "That Great Sage: With a receding forehead and fiery golden eyes, a round head and hairy face without a chin. With bared fangs and a pointed mouth, his temperament is wild, his appearance as strange as the Thunder God. He is skilled in using the golden-banded iron staff, and once broke open the gates of heaven. Now he has returned to the right path to protect the monk, coming specially to save the world from disaster." When the Pilgrim heard this, he was both angry and pleased—pleased that someone was spreading his reputation, and angry that the old fellow Great White Planet had been so talkative, telling all these mortals his appearance! He deliberately pretended to be confused and said, "You are all right. I am indeed not Sun Wukong. I am his disciple, here to learn how to cause trouble for fun. Look, Sun Wukong is coming right now!" He pointed his hand to the east, and while the monks turned their heads to look, he immediately transformed back into his own appearance. Only then did the monks recognize him. They all knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Grandfather! We are common mortals with flesh-and-blood eyes. We did not know it was you in disguise. We beg Grandfather to avenge us and eliminate this disaster. Enter the city quickly and destroy those Daoists, so that the king will revere our Buddhist faith once more!" The Pilgrim said, "Follow me." The monks quickly followed behind him. The Great Sage walked to the sandy beach, performed a magical power, pulled those carts through the two passes, crossed the narrow path along the spine, then lifted them up and smashed them to pieces. He also pushed all the bricks, tiles, and timber down the slope, and said to the monks, "Disperse! Do not get in my way. Wait until I see the king tomorrow and destroy those Daoists!" The monks said, "Grandfather, we dare not go far. We are afraid the officials will catch us again—then we will be punished and suffer even more." The Pilgrim said, "Since that is the case, I will give you a method to protect yourselves." He plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them up, and gave a piece to each monk, saying, "Roll this hair into the fingernail of your ring finger. Clench your fist and go wherever you like. If no one tries to catch you, that is fine. But if someone does try to catch you, clench your fist tightly and shout 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' and I will come to save you." The monks asked, "Grandfather, what if we go too far away and cannot see you, and you do not respond when we call?" The Pilgrim said, "Do not worry. Even if you are ten thousand miles away, I guarantee you will be safe." A few of the bolder monks clenched their fists and quietly shouted, "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." Immediately, they saw a man who looked like the Thunder God standing before them, holding an iron staff. Even a thousand troops and ten thousand horses could not get close. At that moment, a hundred monks shouted together, and a hundred "Great Sages" appeared to protect them. The monks kowtowed and said, "Grandfather! It really works!" The Pilgrim further instructed, "Shout the word 'Silence,' and the hair will retract." The monks shouted "Silence," and sure enough, the hair returned to its original state, still in their fingernails. The monks were finally at ease. They happily went to escape, scattering in all directions. The Pilgrim instructed, "Do not go too far. Listen for news from me in the city. When the king posts a notice recruiting monks, then enter the city and return the hairs to me." Of the five hundred monks, some went east, some went west, some walked, some stopped. We will not speak of them for now.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang, waiting by the roadside and not seeing the Pilgrim, let Zhu Bajie lead the horse westward. They encountered a group of monks running in confusion. When they neared the city, they saw the Pilgrim still talking to a dozen or so monks who had not left. Tang Sanzang reined in his horse and asked, "Wukong, you went to investigate the situation. Why have you been gone so long without returning?" The Pilgrim led the dozen or so monks to Tang Sanzang's horse, bowed, and recounted the story of killing the Daoists and saving the monks. Tang Sanzang was greatly shocked and said, "What are we to do?" Those dozen or so monks said, "Sir, do not worry. The Great Sage Sun is a heavenly god descended to earth. His magical powers are vast, and he will surely ensure your safety. We are monks from the Zhiyuan Temple, built by imperial decree in the city. This temple was built by the former king and contains his shrine, so it was not demolished. All other temples in the city, large or small, were destroyed. Please, sir, enter the city quickly and stay in our temple. Tomorrow morning at court, the Great Sage Sun will surely have a plan." The Pilgrim said, "You are right. Let us enter the city quickly." The elder dismounted. By the time he reached the city gate, the sun had already set. They crossed the drawbridge, passed through the three city gates, and the people on the streets, seeing the monks of the Zhiyuan Temple leading a horse and carrying luggage, all hurriedly got out of the way. When they reached the temple gate, they saw a large golden plaque hanging above it, inscribed with the words "Zhiyuan Temple, Built by Imperial Decree." The monks pushed open the gate, passed through the Hall of the Vajra Guardians, and opened the main hall door. Tang Sanzang put on his cassock, bowed before the Buddha statue, and then entered. The monks called out, "Gatekeeper!" An old monk came out. When he saw the Pilgrim, he kowtowed and said, "Grandfather! You have come!" The Pilgrim asked, "Do you know which grandfather I am, that you kowtow like this?" The old monk said, "I know you are the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Grandfather Sun! We dream of you every night. The Great White Planet often appears in our dreams and says that we will only live if you come. Today, seeing your appearance, it is exactly as in our dreams. Grandfather, it is fortunate that you have come early. If you had come a day or two later, we would all have become ghosts!" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Get up. There will be results tomorrow." The monks prepared a vegetarian meal. The master and disciples ate, then cleaned the abbot's quarters and slept for the night.

At the second watch of the night, the Great Sage Sun had things on his mind and could not sleep. Hearing the sounds of wind and percussion instruments from outside, he quietly got up, put on his clothes, leaped into the air to investigate. He saw bright lights and candles in the due south direction. He descended his cloud for a closer look and discovered that it was the Daoists of the Three Purities Temple performing a star-worshipping ritual. They saw: A sacred precinct with lofty halls, a blessed land with a true shrine. The sacred precinct with lofty halls, towering and magnificent, like the view of Penglai Island; the blessed land with the true shrine, secluded and clear, like the Palace of Transformation and Bliss. On both sides, Daoists played reed organs and flutes. In the center, the high master held a jade tablet. They chanted the *Sutra of Eliminating Calamities* and lectured on the *Classic of the Way and Virtue*. They raised dust several times, fully transmitting the talismans. After each declaration, they all prostrated themselves. They recited spells over water and issued proclamations, with candle flames flickering and soaring to the upper realms. They observed the constellations and arranged the Dipper steps, with the fragrant smoke permeating the clear sky. On the altar were fresh offerings, and on the tables were abundant vegetarian feasts. In front of the hall hung a pair of yellow silk brocade couplets, inscribed with twenty-two large characters: "May the wind and rain be timely, we pray for the boundless Dharma of the Heavenly Honored One; May the rivers be clear and the seas calm, we beseech for the emperor's long life of ten thousand years." The Pilgrim saw three old Daoists wearing ritual robes. They must be the Tiger Power, Deer Power, and Goat Power Great Immortals. Below them were seven or eight hundred Daoists, some beating drums, some striking bells, some attending to the incense, and some reciting the invocations, all standing on both sides. The Pilgrim was secretly pleased. "I want to go down and mingle with them, but 'a single thread cannot make a rope, and one hand cannot make a sound.' I had better go back and call Bajie and Wujing to go have some fun together." He descended his auspicious cloud, returned to the abbot's quarters, and saw Bajie and Wujing sleeping with their feet pointing at each other. The Pilgrim first woke up Wujing. Sha Wujing woke up and asked, "Brother, you are not asleep yet?" The Pilgrim said, "Get up. I will take you to eat some good things." Sha Wujing said, "In the middle of the night, I am both thirsty and sleepy. What good things are there?" The Pilgrim said, "There is a Three Purities Temple in the city. The Daoists are performing a ritual. On the Three Purities Hall, there are many offerings—steamed buns as big as pecks, pastries weighing fifty or sixty catties each, and also plenty of rice and fresh fruits. Come with me to eat." Zhu Bajie, hearing about food in his dream, immediately woke up and said, "Brother, why didn't you call me?" The Pilgrim said, "Brother, if you want to eat, do not shout loudly. Do not wake the master. Follow me." The two of them put on their clothes, quietly went out, and followed the Pilgrim, mounting a cloud and leaping into the sky. When the Fool saw the lights, he wanted to go down. The Pilgrim grabbed him and said, "Do not be impatient. Wait until they disperse before we go down." Zhu Bajie said, "They are in the middle of their chanting. How will they disperse?" The Pilgrim said, "I have a way to make them disperse." The Great Sage made a hand seal, recited a spell, drew a breath of air from the Xun direction, and blew it out with a "whoosh." Immediately, a fierce wind arose, swept straight into the Three Purities Hall, and blew down the vases, candlesticks, and the merit paintings hanging on the walls. The lamps and candles were also extinguished. All the Daoists were terrified. The Tiger Power Great Immortal said, "Disciples, disperse for now. This divine wind has blown out the lamps, candles, incense, and flowers. We will recite a few more scrolls of sutras early tomorrow morning to make up for it." The Daoists all went back indeed. The Pilgrim led Bajie and Wujing down from the cloud, barged into the Three Purities Hall, and the Fool, regardless of whether they were raw or cooked, grabbed the pastries and started to gnaw. The Pilgrim raised his staff to strike, and Bajie quickly withdrew his hand. "I haven't even tasted the flavor yet! Why are you hitting me?" The Pilgrim said, "Do not be so petty. First, 'perform the rites,' then sit down and eat." Zhu Bajie said, "Shameless! Stealing food and calling it performing the rites! If we had been invited, what would you have done?" The Pilgrim asked, "Who are those Bodhisattvas sitting up there?" Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "You do not even recognize the Three Purities, and you call them Bodhisattvas! In the middle is the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, on the left is the Numinous Treasure Dao Lord, and on the right is the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord." The Pilgrim said, "We must transform into their likenesses, then we can eat in peace." The Fool, eager to eat, climbed up the high platform, pushed the statue of the Elderly Lord down with one shove, and said, "Old official, you have sat long enough. Let Old Pig sit for a while." Zhu Bajie transformed into the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, the Pilgrim transformed into the Primordial Heavenly Worthy, and Sha Wujing transformed into the Numinous Treasure Dao Lord. They pushed all the original statues to the floor. After they sat down, Zhu Bajie immediately grabbed a large steamed bun to eat. The Pilgrim said, "Do not be impatient!" Zhu Bajie said, "Brother, we have already transformed. What are we waiting for?" The Pilgrim said, "Brother, eating is a minor matter. If we leak the secrets of heaven, it will be troublesome. The statues are all pushed to the floor. If some early-rising Daoist comes to strike the bell and sweep the floor, and trips over the statues, the news will leak out. You should hide them." Zhu Bajie said, "I am not familiar with this place. I do not know where to hide them." The Pilgrim said, "When I came in, I saw a small door on the right. Inside, there is a foul smell. It must be a latrine. Take them in there." The Fool, being strong, jumped down, hoisted the three statues onto his shoulder, carried them to the small door, and kicked it open. Sure enough, it was a large latrine. Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "This Horse-Plague is good at naming things. He calls a latrine the 'Place of the Five Grains' Reincarnation'!" He did not immediately throw the statues in but muttered a prayer. "Three Purities, Three Purities, listen to me: We have come from afar, specially to destroy demons. We want to enjoy your offerings, but there is no place for us to be at ease. We borrow your seats for a while. You have sat for a long time, so go to the latrine and rest. You have always enjoyed glory and honor, being pure and clean Daoists. Today, taste some dirty things and become 'Heavenly Worthies Who Suffer Stench'!" After praying, with a "plop," he threw the